Rodents within the Centre for Thai National Reference Collections (CTNRC), Past, Present and Future

peer reviewedThe Centre for Thai National Reference Collections (CTNRC) was officially established in 1965, but animal collections in Thailand had been continuously conducted long before this time. This paper gives an historical review of the main steps leading to the constitution of the current collections under the administration of TISTR, with a focus on the rodent collection, which represents about one fifth of the whole mammal specimens. An inventory of the species and genera represented is given. Statistics representing the sampling effort in the different Thai provinces are given. The paper concludes with considerations on the current and future needs and the means necessary to develop and support the efforts of the CTNRC

Systemic histology of the marine water-strider halobates hayanus (Heteroptera, Gerridae)

The structure and cell types of the organs of Halobates hayanus from Libong Island, Thailand, were investigated using a histological method. The integumentary system of this species consists of three layers: epicuticle, exocuticle, and endocuticle. Throughout the body, the muscular system exclusively included skeletal muscle. In the excretory system, we found four fully formed Malpighian tubules, each one lined with a straightforward cuboidal epithelium harbouring secretory granules. The digestive system comprised a foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The midgut had three distinct cell types: basal cells, epithelium, and absorptive cells. The nervous system comprised two regions: A ventral nerve cord and a frontal ganglion, which is connected to the eye structure. The frontal ganglion was composed of two lobes each containing an outer cortex and inner medulla. The outer cortex presented neurosecretory cells, neuroglia cells, and neurons. The neurosecretory cells were large and contained secretory granules in their cytoplasm. This histological study also showed the reproductive system of this gerrid species, including the reproductive tract, and the accessory organ

Accuracy and feasibility of piezoelectric inkjet coating technology for applications in microneedle-based transdermal delivery

Coated microneedles have shown immense promise for use in transdermal delivery and diagnostics, due to their ability to painlessly breach the skin's outermost stratum corneum layer and interact with the epidermal layers immediately beneath. In this work, we use an off-the-shelf piezoelectric dispensing system to demonstrate the feasibility of depositing material directly on to steeply-sloping microneedle sidewalls, without the need for specific needle array positioning or material pretreatment. In the first instance, an analysis of deposition accuracy shows that over 95% of dispensed droplets land within 20 μm of the target. Through the use of sequential dispense and drying steps, 3.2 nL of a model drug formulation has been deposited onto both silicon and polymeric microneedles with highly sloped (71°) sidewalls; these are the steepest surfaces that have been coated to date. Finally, preliminary ex-vivo skin studies have been performed to show that the material may be successfully transferred from the needle to skin. Despite the smooth surfaces, ultrasharp tips and steep sidewalls of these structures, piezoelectric dispense techniques are clearly feasible for microneedle coating and may offer a promising alternative to conventional coating processes

Embedded sensors for Micro Transdermal Interface Platforms (MicroTIPs)

Wearable 'smart patches' of the future will incorporate microneedle technologies that painlessly interact with the body, using closed-loop theranostic systems to continuously monitor the physiological status of the body and deliver appropriate therapeutic agents when needed. Among other components, these Micro Transdermal Interface Platforms (MicroTIPs) will require embedded sensors to verify that the patch is operating as intende